The Japanese feudal military aristocracy.
A professional warrior belonging to this class.

What this doesn't mention is that said class was abolished in the 1800s. Sooooooo....since Aikido was created in the 1900s, I wouldn't be too quick to ascribe it some great 'samurai' status. Not without wincing a bit at the same time. That said, there are some customs loosely borrowed from that class which we see in aikido. I don't think we should deny that...just perhaps not make too much of it.

Best,
Ron

Ron Tisdale
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"The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind."
St. Bonaventure (ca. 1221-1274)